Matthews cleared to practice
Bills WR Jordan Matthews took another step toward returning to the lineup on Wednesday. Just two weeks removed from thumb surgery, Matthews has been cleared to practice.
"He'll be day to day," said head coach Sean McDermott. "He did get cleared to practice, so he will be out at practice. He'll be listed as limited and we'll just take it one day at a time at this point."
Matthews said on Monday that when he's cleared to catch a football he considers himself back and ready to go.
"When it's that time (where I can catch football) I think I'm going to be full tilt," Matthews said. "If I can go out there and catch any type of ball, it'll be at the point where I can go out and practice."
The athletic training and medical staff however, wants to take a more cautious approach, knowing the impact a thrown football will have on the surgically-repaired thumb.
That's why McDermott isn't ready to say that Matthews will be in the lineup on Sunday, but he's not ruling it out either.
"We're going to look at that," said McDermott. "That's where the day to day part comes in. We'll just take it one day at a time right now."
Where Thompson can helpLooking at new receiver addition Deonte Thompson, there are a host of areas where he can help both on offense and special teams. Thompson is a well put together wideout at six-foot and 204 pounds. While he is blessed with speed that can stretch the field, there are other aspects of his game that could specifically aid Buffalo's sagging run game production.
"I like his speed. You look at what he did in his time in Chicago. You see the ability to separate and the speed element is certainly an element there and an upside," said McDermott. "You also see how physical he is and his willingness to block in the run game and also play special teams. I felt like it was a good addition."
A key to Buffalo's run game success the past two seasons has been the downfield blocking of players like Charles Clay and Robert Woods. The Bills downfield blocking hasn't been quite as consistent this season, and with Clay out of the lineup, one of their better run blockers at the skill positions is missing.
Thompson, who was put through a tryout on Tuesday before he was signed, also has a chance to be in uniform on Sunday.
"We'll see," said McDermott. "The good part about D.T. is he's been in different systems. So some of it is just terminology. He met with (receivers) coach (Phil) McGeoghan on Tuesday. They went through it and they'll go through a second iteration of it today. I'm anxious to see him out on the practice field. I love his energy and we'll get him going here."
Cordy Glenn on encouraging trackBuffalo's left tackle position has been in a state of flux due mainly to Cordy Glenn's ongoing battle with persistent foot and ankle issues. Coming off the bye week however, Glenn looks to be in his best physical shape with respect to his foot and ankle ailments.
"I like where we are right now with respect to Cordy's progress," McDermott said. "We'll see a little bit more today and this week in terms of the entire body of work. I feel like he's headed in the right direction and on a consistent path towards getting back. So I think the arrow is pointing in the right direction right now."
The coaching staff has been mindful of Glenn's missed time, so conditioning and endurance is as much a part of the left tackle's return as his physical health. If the week goes well, Glenn would presumably split time at left tackle with rookie Dion Dawkins.
